Why do earthquakes frequently occur between the valleys running between Mid-Ocean ridges? HELP

Answer: Earthquakes frequently occur between valleys running between Mid-Ocean Ridges due to the tectonic activity that is characteristic of these regions. These valleys, often referred to as rift valleys or mid-oceanic rifts, are sites where two tectonic plates are moving apart from each other, a process called sea-floor spreading.

As the tectonic plates diverge, magma from the mantle rises to fill the gap, creating new oceanic crust. This process is not smooth and continuous; instead, it occurs in fits and starts, leading to the build-up of stresses along faults. When the stress overcomes the friction holding the rocks together, it is released in the form of seismic waves, which we experience as earthquakes.

These earthquakes tend to be shallow-focus earthquakes because they occur at the lithospheric plates' boundaries, which are not very deep relative to the overall depth of the Earth. The frequency of these earthquakes in such regions is due to the constant tectonic activity associated with the creation of new oceanic crust and the transformation of the ocean floor.